How much do private coaches help the student?

EmmyBet
Sat, 26 Jan 2013 14:08:36 +0000

This is a great discussion! Connections, your perspective is really helpful.

What I’d hope any prospective theatre student learns here is that there is a spectrum - a spectrum among the people you work with (teachers, directors, acting coaches, experienced college coaches, etc.), a spectrum among parents in terms of money, time, experience, and a spectrum among the kids, too.

The good news is that most kids who want to study theatre end up doing so. There are too many ways to go - whether in college or not - and too many non-auditioned BA programs that offer good training and experience for anyone to be kept from pursuing this dream.

I hope that prospective theatre kids and parents see here that you can go through this process in your own way - yes, a higher level of resources, a higher level of maturity, and a greater access to opportunities is likely to make it a little easier to get into a prestigious, more competitive program. Well - isn’t that true about any college admissions, or really a lot of other things, too? :)

I applaud connections’ son for his resourcefulness. He clearly has great gifts and has learned some terrific lessons. As with many things, some kids learn those lessons sooner rather than later. It is pretty normal for kids on this forum to have some hand-holding and to have parents running interference with things like paperwork, scheduling, transportation, etc. If you fear you wouldn’t have been able to handle the situation she described, don’t feel alone. I think at that time in her life, my D probably would have freaked out in a situation like that, and certainly would at least have been pretty shaken when it actually came time to audition! I’ll even dare to say that a high proportion of artsy kids aren’t known for their strong attention to detail and intensive planning. The great thing is that college is a wonderful place and time for people to grow and develop these skills. As with academics, there often is a real blossoming, plus a solid focus, on learning to be independent problem-solvers. It’s OK if you don’t have everything all together BEFORE you audition, and BEFORE you’ve gone to college. And I think the schools - even the top ones - understand that.